(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved seatpost for supporting a seating surface, particularly applicable to supporting the seat of a human powered vehicle, such as a bicycle.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, the vast majority of bicycle seatposts have been of a rigid fixed-height configuration, where the seatpost is clamped to the frame and the height of the seat is not quickly and easily adjusted. However, more recently, height adjustable seatposts have been introduced to the market. These height-adjustable seatposts are particularly popular in mountain bike applications where the seat must be quickly lowered or retracted to allow the rider additional clearance for riding over obstacles or steep terrain.
These height-adjustable seatposts commonly employ two telescoping seatpost elements and a locking/releasing mechanism for selectively releasing the seatpost to be telescopically adjusted to the desired height and then locking the two telescoping elements to each other with a locking mechanism. The majority of existing bicycle height-adjustable seatposts employ hydraulics and/or pneumatic valves to provide this locking, which requires expensive sealing and closely controlled dimensional tolerances. As such, these existing seatposts are very expensive and many have had inadequate reliability.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a height-adjustable seatpost that is light in weight, inexpensive to produce, and has very good reliability.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.